The Ultimate Vegan Brownies

Good questions. I’m not usually one for giving up dairy or eggs or meat, although I have done my fair share of vegetarianism/veganism, when I was a lowly single living with my grilfriends. Not only was it a great way to save money, but it kept me trim as a race horse and fit as a fiddle.

Nowadays, I am nary without eggs or giant jugs of milk (or cream!) to satiate the crazy little tornado running through the house. So why a vegan brownie? Because someone dared me to do it, dared me to make my own recipe for vegan brownies. And not just anyone…a fellow pregnant woman also nearing the end of this 9 month journey, and we shall call her “Phatty” (totally not derogatory). Someone with just as many raging hormones and ridiculous cravings as me. A dare set forth by a fellow pregger can only be responded to with an affirmative. Yes of course I will make you vegan brownies, because no one says no to pregnant women, not even another pregnant woman.
And what a challenge it was! I have rarely been without enough eggs in my refrigerator to make simple baked goods, and when I have run into the conundrum I have been nothing short of seriously dissapointed in the results. Bananas, applesauce, tofu, flax….what should I use? Well, it all comes down to what the eggs are there for in the non-vegan version in the first place. Are they there to bind the whole thing together? Or maybe they are the leavening agent, or maybe they add the always important moistness. Whatever the eggs do in your recipe, you need to know that information and replace accordingly. Here is a fabulous reference (source: http://www.egglesscooking.com/2008/09/10/egg-replacement-baking-event/):

If eggs are binders in a recipe, it can be replaced with Arrowroot, Soy, Lecithin, Flaxseed Mix, Pureed Fruits or Vegetables, Silken Tofu, Unflavored Vegetarian Gelatin Powder (agar agar). The ratio is, for every egg replaced, 1/4 cup of the substitute is used.

If eggs are leavening agents, Buttermilk, Yogurt, Baking Soda, Commercial Egg Replacement Powder such as Ener-G can be used.

If eggs are moisturizers, Fruit Juice, Milk, Water or Pureed Fruit can be used.

To that end, I grabbed my notebook full of notes and recipes. I flipped to my decadent chocolate brownie recipe and I started the cogs a’turnin’ in the old rusty brain bucket. What could I do to this recipe to make it still be fudgy, chewy and most importantly, chocolate-y?

Well folks, I’ve done a lot of recipe experimentation and reformulation in my life and have had to do it all over again and again to the same recipe(s). It takes work to create a recipe and be so impressed with it, so enamoured with it’s final form, that you are willing to stamp your name on it and call it done. I think I might have hit my peak with this one. This is by far the most decadent, fudgy, dense, chocolate-y brownie I’ve ever made and it contains not one animal product to speak of! Me. The lover of cream and butter and cream and more cream and buttermilk and fluffly light whipped cream. Me! So now I share it with you, dear readers, in the hopes that you pass it along to anyone you know who might be dairy intolerant, is a non-animal consumer or even people like me who are willing to try it.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease an 8 x 8 pan.
2. In a double boiler or a bowl set atop a pot of gently simmering water, melt the coconut oil, chocolate squares and vanilla together.
3. Mix the coffee (or espresso) powder with the 1/2 cup of hot water and stir into the coconut/chocolate mixture. Add sugar and remove from heat. The sugars will dissolve a bit but you don’t need to completely dissolve it.
4. In another bowl, sift together the flours, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine.
5. In yet another bowl (small one), mix the flax seeds and 6 Tbsp of hot water, allow to sit for 2-3 minutes.
6. Combine the chocolate/coconut oil mixture with the flour mixture and stir to incorporate. Add the thickened flax and stir that in as well.
7. Pour the batter into the greased baking pan and bake for 30-40 minutes. Start checking the brownies after the first 30 minutes to ensure it is baking evenly.
8. When finished, remove the brownies from the oven, set atop a cooling rack and get busy somewhere else. These babies need to be utterly cooled before consuming. If you attempt to eat them before they are properly cooled, they will crumble. When they are properly cooled, you can’t even tell they are eggless, I promise!

** Most popular brands of white and brown sugar are NOT vegan. An animal product called “bone char” is used in the bleaching or whitening process and therefore renders the sugar useless in vegan baking. Although I’m sure some vegans are not aware of this, it is better to use something else just in case. In this recipe I used 1/2 cup of sucanat, 1/2 cup organic cane sugar in the raw and 1 cup of organic demerera (just because I had all three!). Any sugar will do (I prefer 1 cup white and 1 cup brown for flavour) but if you need a truly vegan product, look for the sugars I mentioned.

97 comments to The Ultimate Vegan Brownies

I tried these as Liz was kind enough to share one, yesterday. I took the full brownie and popped it into my mouth and immediately realized that such Neanderthal eating was NOT for this wonderful creation! I still had the lingering fudgy-goodness in my mouth an hour later.

Thank you, thank you, thank you…. and I promise, never again I will not eat another one of your creations like a brute

I have tried some vegan cookies and brownies at the weekend markets before. It tastes the same as the regular pastries. I was wondering what did they substitute with the dairy products and eggs. Now I know. Thanks so much for the info! U
.-= Mhe-Lhanee Benito´s last blog ..Hummus =-.

I’ve never seen such a straight-forward breakdown of which vegan substitutions to make when — very handy. Also, the brownies look delicious!
.-= Beatrice´s last blog ..Flourless Carrot Cake (Gajar Ka Halwa) =-.

Though not fully vegetarian or remotely vegan, I’ve read enough vegan cookbooks and blogs to know what a feat it is to find a good vegan brownie. Yours look fabulously dense and fudgey. Thanks for making it easy for us by doing all the testing.
.-= Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets´s last blog ..Vanilla Bean (or Melted Ice Cream) Buttercream =-.

One more tip for a richer, moister, more chocolatey taste – Grated beetroot. There is a chemical in beetroot that compliments the theobromide in chocolate beautifully. I don’t make brownies without it now!

These look good… I’ll keep these in mind because I’m hoping to have a few vegan and gluten free baked goods at my bake sale in April. This looks like a great option!
.-= Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction´s last blog ..Almond Crusted Tilapia with Orange Beurre Blanc =-.

Actually Joseph, I would have to argue that coconut oil IS a healthy oil as long as you use “virgin” coconut oil not hydrogenated. Solid spreads made from canola or olive oil are hydrogenated, making them terrible for your body.

OMFG!!!!! These brownies rule the world…and the universe beyond!!! Made them exactly as specified (using 2 c. demarara sugar)…and had to restrain myself from downing the entire pan. To really amp up the fudginess, refrigerate the brownies (after cooling thoroughly) for several hours or overnight…you will end up with a dense, moist, scrumptious treat that is beyond chocolate overload…I would doubt that anyone trying one of those chilled delights would EVER suspect that it is not only 100% vegan but contains whole wheat flour as well! I wish you were a dedicated vegan, as this recipe is the BEST brownie recipe that I’ve made, vegan or non. You totally know your stuff when it comes to baking, and I would love to see what other yummy vegan treats you could concoct!!!

Brownies are delicious- if you’re attempting to make them be sure to actually WAIT until the brownies are cool Also, don’t use carob powder like I did, it makes them taste a little funny. Yum! Good luck!

Do you use refined or unrefined coconut oil? Your recipe looks FANTASTIC and I’ve been on an endless quest to make the perfect vegan brownie (to no avail). I’ve seen “refined” in other chocolate recipes, but I cannot find it anywhere…

Thanks for the recipe. I freaked out a little when I got the chocolate temp up too high and the cocoa and oil separated. Good thing adding the sugar helped bind it all back together. I also used chia seeds instead of flax. The chia has a tendency to become gel when mixed with water, thus making a decent egg replacer. Delicious results. Got many compliments on the brownies. Thanks again.

I made these for Thanksgiving and served them alongside Maida Heatter’s Palm Beach brownies and even the radical chocolate critic preferred these! The vegans were delighted. EVERYONE loved them.

Made them again just now for a later-on Christmas evening snack for when everyone returns from their various gatherings. I just realized another thing I love about them – guilt-free batter eating – no raw egg to freak out about! And the batters is *so* good! P.S. I ran out of coconut oil at 3/4 c. so used 1/4 c. almond oil.

you can try applesauce….it works well as a replacement for fat although might make the brownies more cake-like than you might want….any ordinary vegetable shortening would probably work…..word of warning though for people with soy allergies….the cheap vegetable shortening found in the baking needs section of the supermarket tends to be made with soybean oil

also for the egg it might be cheaper to just use Ener-G egg replacer which is a vegan product….it’s about $7 per box but I think you get 100 “eggs” in each box which makes using this in baking cheaper than real eggs

I’m no vegan by a longshot but in baking and in things like pancakes and waffles I tend to go vegan because it saves on real eggs and milk which we can either consume or use in other things

I’m going to try this recipe with Liquid vanilla Stevia instead of sugar n vanilla. Also adding hemp seeds for crunch and the chia seeds instead of the flax seeds. I found your recipe as I was searching for a chewy fudgy brownie recipe that uses coconut oil and chia seeds. This one looks good, I like reading all the good comments about them and the pictures also inspire me. Thanks!

You’re my hero! These are fabulous! I used earth balance margarine instead of coconut oil and neglected to adjust the salt for that (I’d suggest at least cutting salt in half if you use earth balance), but that’s my bad, and the saltiness doesn’t detract from the wonderfulness. They actually TASTE like brownies. That’s just incredible for a vegan brownie. The texture is awesome too. I’m excited – it’s been so long since I’ve had a brownie! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to do all the experimenting so I don’t have to! I chose to leave out the coffee, because I’m not a coffee person. But they turned out well anyways. I topped it with chocolate chips, pecans, vegan marshmallows, and drizzled chocolate on the top. I’ll never be the same… *sigh* :0P

If I were to make these GF too I would experiment with swapping out the flours for a GF mix (such as Bob’s Red Mill) and also using xanthan gum or guar gum for the leaveners. If you try let me know! Maybe I could do a little experimenting too…

Just a tip if you’re having trouble finding vegan sugar – all certified organic sugar is vegan friendly – they use plant charcoal when they bleach it (often made from the leftover cane stalks after processing out the sugar sap). So even if it’s refined, as long as it’s organic, you’re a-okay. Most large chain supermarkets carry at least one brand so it’s usually not a problem to find some.

yeah….that method of refining sugar is called the “activated carbon” method and some sugar refineries still get the activated carbon from animal bone charcoal (colloquially known as “bone char”) but it seems to me like it would be just as east to get it from wood charcoal which would be vegan….another vegan way of refining sugar is by ion-exchange resin but that has other environmental trade-offs because the resin is usually made from petroleum products like polystyrene…I wish makers of refined sugar put how they refined it on their product labels…..since wood charcoal seems to me to be pretty easy to get I’m surprised that more refineries don’t use it instead of bone char

These were really spectacular. Thanks for the recipe! I think that the coconut oil gives it a bit of a pronounced coconut flavor, but I loved that! My three year old helped me make them for her great-grandmother today who ooh’d and aaah’d over every chocolate-covered, finger-licked bite! I used two ounces of unsweetened chocolate squares and two ounces of some dark cocoa vegan chocolate as that’s all I had on hand and had to cook for about 40 minutes, but they really are chocolatey, brownie perfection! Bravo!

If you don’t have unsweetened baking chocolate squares then 4 T. cocoa powder plus 1/2 T. of fat (like vegetable shortening or coconut oil) replaces 1 square of chocolate and the added advantage is that the chocolate is already “melted”

Elizabeth – hello! While I love to cook, I’m a TERRIBLE baker. I made these last night and just tried one (for breakfast, of course). Delicious! They turned out! It did still crumble a bit, but nothing of concern. Are they good cold from the fridge too? I wonder if this will help with the crumbliness? I’m not remotely vegan, but I promised I’d make them for a friend. Today is Thanksgiving so we’ll indulge in this delight after our turkey indulgence. Oh – any leads on reasonably priced coconut oil? It was quite expense at Whole Foods. Not sure where else to get it in Toronto. Mind you, I haven’t looked very hard. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving everyone!

Hi! I only have pastry flour and no whole wheat flour. How does that change the measurements. Also, my son is allergic to flax seeds, is there somthing else I can use? Is the egg replacement in this recipe used primarily as a binder or a leavener or for texture. Thanks! I can’t wait to try them out!

Pastry flour makes the brownies a little lighter. Use all purpose flour for the recipe if you don’t have whole wheat or use pastry flour as a last resort. The flax are essential binders to this recipe and it will not work without them. You could try using a different vegan egg replacer.

I just wanted to say that I love these brownies. I wrote a blog post about them today and linked to your blog, I hope that is ok. Thanks for the great recipe!Linda @ Lemons recently posted..Some Really Good Brownies

hi! recipe sounds very exotic and i want to try it: can i use coconut milk (7% fat) or coconut cream (21% fat) instead of coconut oil? or regular oil? if yes, how should i readjust the quantities? and is it absoluteyl necessary to add the melted chocolate? i just ahte working with melted chocolate and i have seen loads of brownie recipes with just cocoa powder…
thanks!

The recipe will not work with coconut milk and the melted chocolate acts as a binding agent for the brownies, so not, these two ingredients cannot be substituted. Sorry! But if you want to sub cocoa for melted chocolate you can use this formula:

I occasionally cook for a group of volunteers who do wildland restoration projects. Projects have 50-80 volunteers each, so there are usually at least a couple of folks who are vegan and many who are gluten free. The last project I cooked for, I googled some vegan brownie recipes and adjusted also for gluten-free. The first recipe I found used applesauce, lots of it, and I substituted brown rice flour…they were INEDIBLE…they were gritty and way too “appley”. Then I found this GEM OF A RECIPE! I substituted 1 part brown rice flour and 3 parts tapioca starch for the flour. I also used 1/2 sugar in the raw and 1/2 agave nectar for the “sugar”…they were FABULOUS. The texture was good, not too gooey, not dry, and they were quite rich. Thanks for the recipe, it will definitely be a standard and I will be adding it to the organization’s cook handbook!

Hi, I have tried to make the brownies twice now and both times the top starts to crisp and the middle is still very gooey. I have no idea why this is happening. Any ideas ? I followed the recipe all but the cocoa powder as could not find the dutch one so used regular baking cocoa.

Hi,
Mine are crispy on the top also and fudgy underneath when done. My oven temps out just fine. Baked it in a glass pan so that may have had something to do with it. Also, I used the natural balance vegan butter instead of the coconut oil. My sugar is organic cane juice sugar. Maybe those two substitutions affected it.

I fully realized I am commenting on a thread that is over a year old, but who knows? That’s the power of the internet.

I’ve been trying lots of recipes for vegan brownies and so far these taste the best! My only problem is that I followed the recipe EXACTLY and they were very crumbly, even after cooling overnight. I know I could refrigerate them but I’d prefer them to be more gooey and not cold. Would I be able to just reduce the amount of flower? Or increase the amount of coconut oil? I don’t know much about baking so I haven’t a clue! What about baking them for not quite as long?

The other problem is, I’m in the UK and we don’t use cups. Looking online it says 1 cup = 240ml, but that this is 120 grams. This then doesn’t = 240ml! I used 240ml flour as you specify but worry I’m converting it wrong!

I love these brownies soo much! But my paleo-diet friend wants me to make them without any gluten; if you want to make the brownies gluten free, what would you substitute instead of the cake and the whole wheat flour?

That would take a lot of experimenting! Coconut flour might work, but not for the whole thing. Almond flour would work too. If your friend isn’t strict paleo and only the gluten part matters, you could try using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten free flour.

These are truly fabulous! I am enthusiastically attempting a vegan lifestyle, but sadly I first had to see if it was possible to still enjoy baked goods (that I could make myself). These were everything I could have dreamed of and more. I did have to substitute chia for flax only because I didn’t have flax on hand, I will try with flax next time though just to change it up. Even my non-sweet-eater husband loved them! These will be a staple in my home. Thank you for doing all the work to perfect the recipe! I will share this on my blog within the month!

These brownies were amazingly tasty! I waited for them to cool completely before I cut them, but I still found them to be rather crumbly once in hand (and mouth). Still, the taste was rich and not a hint of being dry.

I am going to say yes, though I have never tried myself. Now, saying that. They will be mush denser and possibly crumbly. You may need to add extra liquid to the batter. It would be better to use whole wheat pastry flour instead.

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